Pickup Styx (Easy Bake Coven)

by Liz Schulte

  The only eye he could see out of opened a sliver and his lips cracked into a bloody, nearly toothless smile. “I have a message for you,” he said hoarsely. His eye shut again and it was as if all the bones in his body melted away. I leaned into his midsection and lifted him over my shoulder.

  “Lock the door,” I told Olivia as I carried Baker to the couch. He didn’t need to tell me the message. It was loud and clear. This wasn’t over. We were only just starting.

  “Holden?”

  I looked back at Olivia, who was covered in Baker’s blood, and my heart clenched against fear and memories—weaknesses. I would give anything if I could live the rest of my life and never see her covered in blood again. She had a red smear under her curious, confused eyes, but there was no fear. Olivia never seemed to be afraid of anything, which could be both of our downfalls.

  She moved closer and snapped her fingers in front of my eyes. “Holden? What happened? What message does he have? Is this about us or him?”

  I glanced at Baker then back to her. “Call Femi. We need help healing him.”

  I could feel the stubbornness in her protesting, but she turned to get her cell phone, her mind a silent void. Olivia and I had found a rhythm to the sometimes overwhelming connection we shared. Now if emotions ran too high and there was no danger to either of us, we kept our thoughts to ourselves to save the other from the emotional sucker punch. I sat on the coffee table across from Baker and leaned my elbows against my knees. “Baker.” I jabbed my finger into one of the wounds on his shoulder.

  Baker gasped, his head craning up and his back arching. He opened the one eye and hissed, “Fuck.”

  “Who was it?”

  “Who do you think?” He flopped his head down, breathing hard.

  “Names. I want names.” Very welcome rage rooted in my abdomen and shot through the rest of me, numbing those pesky softer feelings. To come after Baker was to come after me. Someone was about to learn that the bloody way—my way.

  “Jinn. I don’t know their names.” His voice was fading fast. I let him drift off.

  “Start talking, Holden. What do you know?” Olivia stood in the doorway of our bedroom, watching me. No doubt she’d heard what Baker said.

  I took my time standing up. She didn’t move to let me through when I approached the bedroom. She lit from within when I put my hands on either of her shoulders and kissed her cheek as I moved her out of my way. “Stay with Baker.” I headed for the closet, feeling Olivia behind me. “It’s probably best if you don’t get involved in this one.”

  “He’s my friend too,” she said. “No more secrets. That was the deal.”

  I looked back at her. “It’s not a secret. I’m going to kill them. All of them.”

  She bit her lip and inspected me, her arms crossed over her chest. Finally she nodded. “I’ll protect him.”

  I pulled a black t-shirt over my head and laced up my boots. Olivia wasn’t scared of jinn or demons—probably because she could annihilate most of them without breaking a sweat—but she wasn’t a killer either. She didn’t seek out fights, but she wouldn’t back down if one showed up on our doorstep. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. “Let me know if Baker regains consciousness for any length of time.” I dug out a pair of brass knuckles I hadn’t used in a while and slipped them into my pocket. I was headed for the door when someone knocked. I shot Olivia a look and she stopped in place, her fingers twitching as she prepared for an attack. I waited until she nodded to me. Then I pulled my gun off the bookshelf and answered the door.

  “Might want to clean up this crime scene out here, Chuckles, if you don’t want to call attention to yourself.” Femi brushed past me.

  Her flippant attitude couldn’t hide the worry coming off of her in waves. I looked in the hallway and she was right. It was gory. Drips and smears of blood led all the way to our door where a small puddle had soaked into the carpet.

  “I’ll take care of it. You take care of yourself.” Olivia pressed her lips to mine, and I knew a moment of peace until she pulled back. “I have all of this handled.”

  I nodded and left without a word.

  I stared at the door, giving Holden time to make it out of the building before I cleaned Baker’s blood from everything. After a couple minutes, I walked out into the hallway to see what I was dealing with. I closed my eyes and released the energy coursing through my veins. I imagined my light spreading from me down the hallway and stairs, all the way to the front door. Once I made it there, I envisioned everything being exactly as it was before—well, maybe slightly better than it was before, but I couldn’t help that. When I opened my eyes, it looked like we had new carpeting and freshly painted walls, but I didn’t care. At least that wouldn’t alarm people. I went back inside and Femi leaned over Baker, her hands on either side of his head.

  As I moved closer to them, I could hear her talking. “I should leave you like this for being a dumbass. Who the hell did you piss off?”

  “It’s not his fault,” I told her.

  Her head snapped toward me as if she hadn’t realized she’d been talking out loud.

  “This was a message to us. You probably aren’t safe here. Anyone who associates with us probably isn’t safe.” All the people I knew and should warn came to mind. Mom would need to go into hiding again.

  “You almost sound as paranoid as Holden,” Femi said.

  I shook my head, not able to manage a smile, and gestured to Baker. “Can’t really deny this. I was a fool to think this was over.”

  Femi gazed up at me, the pupils in her bright green eyes contracting vertically. “That’s one way to see it. Or you can say whoever did this just made the worst mistake in their increasingly short lives. If this comes down to a fight, my money’s on us.”

  Her confidence was tempting, but now was the time to be cautious. Holden had been telling me that, and I hadn’t been listening. He knew it wasn’t over, but I arrogantly thought they’d be too afraid to come after us now. “You shouldn’t get involved, Femi. Please, help Baker then take a bounty far away from here.”

  She snorted and refocused her attention on Baker, who was already looking better. “Believe it or not, there isn’t a single bounty that sounds interesting right now.”

  “Femi—”

  She held up a hand. “I don’t have a lot of friends. I’m not going to abandon the ones I do have.”

  I had the urge to hug her, but I didn’t want to break her concentration.

  “Speaking of work, you should probably change before you go. You look a little like Carrie after the prom.”

  I looked at myself. I wasn’t quite that bad, but I did look like I’d been in an accident. I headed for a shower. When I rejoined Femi, Baker was conscious but he sounded weak.

  “Don’t take any wooden nickels, doll. The angel’s right. You should get the hell out of Dodge.”

  Femi poked him with one of her sharpened fingernails, making him jump. “Keep talking and I’ll kill you myself.”

  He leaned his head back, perfectly relaxed. “You won’t kill me. I think you’re a little stuck on me.”

  Femi laughed. “Dream on. You couldn’t handle me, Baker. Not on your best day.”

  He grinned up at the ceiling.

  “You have teeth,” slipped out of my mouth. I knew Femi could assist in some minor healing, but I didn’t think she could grow back missing pieces. “That’s amazing, Femi.”

  “It wasn’t me,” she said, inspecting him.

  “Then how?”

  “Ladies, ladies, I’m a shifter. Teeth are no trouble at all.”

  I had seen Baker turn himself into Holden before, but it still seemed strange that he could just change one body part and add something that hadn’t been there before. The only things I knew about shifters was what I’d learned from him.

  “You’re thinking too hard over there, angel. Where’s the boss-man?”

  Holden. I was supposed to tell Holden when Baker woke up. I reached out with my mi
nd and easily connected to him.

  “Baker’s awake and talking.”

  “Has he said what happened?”

  “Not yet. Do you want me to ask?”

  “Yes.”

  “Exactly what happened, Baker?” I kept the connection with Holden and repeated Baker’s response word for word in my mind.

  “I had just taken Selene to the cemetery in New Orleans, and I was waiting outside the gates for her, minding my own business, when four jinn appeared out of nowhere and jumped me.”

  “What do you mean ‘appeared out of nowhere’?” Femi asked.

  Baker sat up and dropped his feet to the ground. “I mean they weren’t there, and then they were.”

  I shook my head. “That’s not possible. You just didn’t see them.”

  Baker gave me a rare, serious look. “They weren’t there.”

  “How’d he get back in Chicago if he was in New Orleans?” Holden asked and I repeated the question.

  Baker shrugged. “Search me. I haven’t the foggiest. All I know is if they wanted to bump me off they could have. They just toned me up real good and then tossed me out of the car in front of your building saying to give you a message.”

  “What’s the message?” I asked.

  “I’m the message,” Baker said. “You don’t just walk away from the jinn or Hell. It doesn’t work like that, angel.”

  “Why did they wait so long?”

  He shook his head. “I wish I knew.”

  “Tell Baker to get his ass back out on the street and find out what’s happening. We’ve been too caught up in the elf problems and haven’t been paying attention to our own.” Holden sounded calm—too calm. That was never a good thing.

  “You don’t have to help us, Baker. Holden and I don’t want to put any of you in harm’s way.”

  “The boss-man said that?”

  I looked down, trying to think of a lie he’d believe.

  He laughed. “You had me worried that he’d really gone soft. I’m not backing out because someone rang my bell. I’d lose all my street cred.” Baker stood and wavered slightly.

  “Not a good idea, Champ.” Femi caught his arm and made him sit back down.

  I glanced at the clock. I was so late. “I have something I need to do. Will you be okay?”

  Femi gave me a sardonic smile. “I think we can manage.”

  I rolled my eyes and transported to the guardian headquarters.

  Quintus looked up at me. “You’re late.”

  “I’m not going to be in for a while.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

  I forced a smile. “I just thought you should know.”

  “You know, Olivia—”

  “Quintus, you aren’t in charge.”

  “No. You are. So act like.”

  I sighed. It had been awkward between us for a while, and I really had no one to blame but myself. I knew how he felt about me, and once I had sincerely hoped to forget Holden, but now I knew that was impossible. If I wasn’t with Holden, I would never be with anyone. He was my other half. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  He stared straight ahead to avoid looking at me. “It means you have responsibilities to us.”

  I tried to control the annoyance and defensiveness rising up inside of me by clenching my fists. “And have I ever neglected those responsibilities?”

  I missed being friends with Quintus, though there was a period in time when didn’t think I could ever look at him again without anger. I was ready to move on. If I could forgive his sins, surely he could forgive me for falling in love.

  “You are now. There are people who need you.” His eyes finally trailed to me, still filled with hurt. “I need you.”

  I pressed my lips together and looked down. I didn’t want to hurt him further, but what choice did he leave me with?

  “Not like that,” he said quickly. “I get it. You and Holden are soul mates. I can’t compete with that. I mean, I miss talking to you. I miss spending time with you.”

  I smiled to myself before I looked up again. “Me too. This isn’t about that. Baker was attacked. I think Hell is going to move against Holden and me soon. I don’t want to involve the Guardians. We are too fragile.”

  “So you forgive me for Juliet?”

  Her name made my shoulders sag. “It’s not what I would’ve chosen to do, but your heart was in the right place. And maybe it was the only way things could end. I lost her long before that moment.”

  He smiled, showing his dimples. “You’ve managed to find trouble again. Do you need help?”

  I grinned back. “Yes. I need you to take care of things here so I can focus on everything else.”

  He nodded, but I didn’t miss the hint of disappointment in his voice. “If you need anything…”

  “I know. I should really get back.”

  I transported to the apartment where Femi and Baker were talking about movies like it was any normal Wednesday afternoon.

  First, there are the people who helped me get the book publishing ready; my editors, Ev Bishop and Michelle Kampmeier, my fantastic formatter, Julie Titus, and all my fans who constantly encourage me. I appreciate you all more than you know.

  I want to thank my friends and family for all their love and support. Especially my mom, my brother Richard, and Kim Lammers.

  Many authors claim to have known their calling from a young age. Liz Schulte, however, didn’t always want to be an author. In fact, she had no clue. Liz wanted to be a veterinarian, then she wanted to be a lawyer, then she wanted to be a criminal profiler. In a valiant effort to keep from becoming Walter Mitty, Liz put pen to paper and began writing her first novel. It was at that moment she realized this is what she was meant to do. As a scribe she could be all of those things and so much more.

  When Liz isn’t writing or on social networks she is inflicting movie quotes and trivia on people, reading, traveling, and hanging out with friends and family. Liz is a Midwest girl through and through, though she would be perfectly happy never having to shovel her driveway again. She has a love for all things spooky, supernatural, and snarky. Her favorite authors range from Edgar Allen Poe to Joseph Heller to Jane Austen to Jim Butcher and everything in between.

  Books by Liz Schulte

  Mysteries

  Dark Corners (Ella Reynolds Series Book 1)

  Dark Passing (Ella Reynolds Series Book 2)

  The Ninth Floor

  Ella Reynolds Series Book 3 (Coming 2014)

  Dead Inside (Coming 2014)

  Fantasy

  Secrets (Guardian Series Book 1)

  Choices (Guardian Series Book 2)

  Consequences (Guardian Series Book 3)

  Easy Bake Coven (Easy Bake Coven Series Book 1) – Coming December 2012

  Hungry, Hungry, Hoodoo (Easy Bake Coven Series Book 2) – Coming 2013

  Ember (The Jinn Trilogy) – Coming December 2013

  Tiddly Jinx (Easy Bake Coven Book 4) – Coming February 2014

  Anthologies

  Cupid Painted Blind (Sweet Little Lies – a Femi short story)

  Once Upon a Midnight Dreary (The Visitor)

  Eternal Summer (Dark Remnants – An Ella Reynolds Short Story)

  Learn more about Liz and her books at http://www.lizschulte.com, like her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLizSchulte, or follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LizSchulte

  For exclusive content and sneak peeks into Liz’s future books sign up for her newsletter at http://lizschulte.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=b24d896a4369244959d216887&id=a525d7447f

  Table of Contents

  Map to Styx

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve
/>   Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Ember Sneak Peek

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author